Lasting Life
by ReAwaken
Summary: Life has never been easy for Nali, an orphan in Republic City. The orphanage is underfunded and her friend is sick. The only joy she can find in such tough times by cheering on the Fire Ferrets. Can that sustain her or will she find hope in the ideals of the Equalist movement? Maybe the Fire Ferrets will play for more than a Championship trophy-maybe they will play for hope.


**I really shouldn't...but I couldn't resist. Super excited for the next book to come out! For now, this fic is based off the first book, Air. I don't own anything other than my characters :D Hope you guys enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think!**

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Dawn came with piercing clarity. That, and the echo of a pitiful, desperate cough.

Nali's eyes were mere slits as she hoisted herself from her cot. The floor creaked with her movement as she steadied herself, rubbing her eyes. She snatched up the bedside candle, and with frozen toes, exited the girls' dormitory.

The boys' dormitory was across the way. However, that was not Nali's destination. No, with the pattering and scuffing of calloused skin on floorboards, she quietly entered the infirmary. Her friend Raley was there and had been there since his arrival at Republic City's Acceptance Orphanage a year ago.

"Easy there, don't want you coughing up your spleen," Nali soothed, taking a cloth from the basin at the side of the bed and stroking his glistening brow. Raley's breath was ragged as he attempted a smile. "There's a good boy. What shall I get you while I'm out today?" Nali asked him. If anything, it was to take his mind off his inability to breathe properly. His smile cracked open, revealing two rows of the straightest teeth that Nali had ever seen on an orphan.

"Fire gummies, please," he said, voice low and straining. Nali nodded, touching his cheek gently. The eight year old managed a grating sigh and Nali blinked back tears.

"The doctor will come today, I'm sure of it," she told him. She told him that every morning before she went out with the others. It was her everyday wish.

"Who else is going today?" he whispered. He started to choke and Nali handed him his perpetual cup—only his and always filled with the cleanest water they could get their hands on.

"Well, let's see. There's Talin, Stilts, Oppi, and I think Valen, if we can convince him. He hates doing the fabric district though," Nali commented with a laugh. This brought another smile to the fading green orbs of the boy. "Get some rest and it won't seem like I'm gone as long," Nali instructed. Raley nodded his head faintly and slowly slid his eyes closed, obeying her request. However, it was disturbed by a rousing cough as she closed the door, causing her to wince and mope all the way to the dining hall.

"You're up bright and early," came Matron Heil's voice.

"Always. Can you not hear Raley cough? What happened to the nurse who is supposed to be on call?" Nali questioned forcefully. The head matron, wrinkled with work and failing hope, eyes two coals of desperation and lips like chalk lines, pale and thin, heaved a sigh like a balloon deflating. It wasn't that she was old either—rather, she had been one of the firsts to take up the arduous task of caring for the little lost souls at the founding of the orphanage.

"She was excused on account that we have no money," Heil explained, "And you know I've just gotten so used to the moans and hacks. Can't imagine a night's sleep without them." Nali scoffed but the matron gave her a hard look. "You can hardly complain, choosing to stay and help."

"This place is desperate for help," Nali said, softer now, with a look to the leaky roof in silent plea.

"Aye, that it is. And I should know," Heil said as she gathered up dirty plates from the night before. Their cook was on a part time schedule as well. "There should be a couple slices of bread in the kitchen. Go rouse the others, opening starts bright and early."

Nali nodded as she laced up her mud-stained boots and clomped back off to the dormitories. It was a miracle she didn't wake them all up. Upon her request, the orphanage started demanding that children who were of the age, healthy, and able, were to go out into the streets of Republic City and work odd jobs for the day. Because it was her idea, Nali headed the enterprise and today she would be shepherding five of the teenagers over to the fabric district to visit some tailors and weavers, hat makers and tan hiders. Those 'lucky' five were less than excited to be pulled from their beds with the sun just peaking over the treetops in the public park.

"I absolutely hate this," Valen sighed as they shuffled onto the dusty street. Their modest orphanage stood alone, in the shade of taller, more impressive looking buildings. It claimed a nice little look out of the wharf, which also provided the underfunded building with an adequate infestation of mold. The sound of a tugboat horn thoroughly frazzled the more sleep addled teens.

"Well, there's nothing else for it, troops. Today we're hitting the fabric district. Pro-bending season is in full swing and I know that those illustrious patrons and fans alike will be in the mood for some festive outfits or whatever. So let's show them what kind of help we hard workers from the streets can be!" Nali said, rallying her 'troops.' She knew the older ones hated it but the younger ones absolutely loved the idea and had a little march in their step as they went about their workday.

In truth, Nali was only the eldest by a handful of years. Valen had just turned sixteen and that left Nali only a two-year distance. Still, she felt infinitely older as she tried her best to rally spirits and provide the comfort so many of them were lacking. Sometimes she even sounded like the old crow matrons, which always surprised her. Youthful days had never deigned to exist in her life anyway.

"You're absolutely far too excited about this," Valen snipped and the others nodded their heads. Nali just smiled as she gave Valen a little push forward, the group ambling into the fabric district. They split up, assigning shops they knew would be happy to oblige them. Oppi got the south side, Valen the west, Talin and Stilts the east and she was left with the northern streets.

"Mr. Chen, always a pleasure," Nali cooed as she strode up to the back door. The old tailor had a stack of sun-dried, berry colored fabrics in his hands, and Nali swiftly hauled them into her own.

"Oh, Patches, didn't see you there. Thank you kindly," the man muttered, his white mustache twitching with a life of its own. 'Patches' was his affectionate nickname for her. At least, that's what she told herself seeing as she couldn't actually remember the man asking for her name.

"New designs come in from across the water?" Nali asked as she set down the folded fabrics on his worktable. He nodded his head mutely, readjusting his brown cap on his brow so that his caterpillar eyebrows were set free. "So then, how can I help?"

"The orders are written down somewhere in that stack of papers. Could you organize them by date?" he asked softly. Nali slid her way to the corner of the worktable. The work area consisted of a table, a sewing machine, three benches and a little corner bookcase stacked with bits and pieces of whatever a tailor needed. It always amazed Nali that Mr. Chen knew where everything was.

He was watching her as she picked up the first yellowed slip that she found. "You do know how to read, right?" he asked suddenly.

"I know my numbers and there's a couple of words I can make out," Nali replied with all the confidence she could muster, "I know these dates, and I'll have them in order quick as a badger frog," Nali assured him. He let out a whistle that reminded her of the red train that ran through the city.

Nali admitted that it did take her longer than the average, well-educated person from a loving home to get the orders organized. She kept confusing her sevens for ones and would have to shuffle through the pile to rearrange them. Not to mention the small talk that she liked to make with Mr. Chen. He always replied with a grunt or a whistle but at least he acknowledged her. That's why she always made sure to find him on fabric district days. Most adults just put her to work in an obscure back room and didn't talk to her except to haggle payment. Mr. Chen treated her like she mattered.

He gave her the task of rolling new thread around spindles and she sat in a corner stool as clients came in for fittings and alterations. His assistant arrived, a sharp edged woman with stretched features who always regarded Nali with a sniff. She ran the floor while Mr. Chen was doing custom figures. While Nali wasn't situated in the main room, she had a clear view of the floor from the work room and had to stifle her laughter whenever Mr. Chen's assistant, Zalia, assisted a customer with outfit suggestions. It was as clear as a pro-bending sudden death round that Zalia was awful at dealing with people. But Mr. Chen kept her as a favor to his sister, Zalia's mother.

"Done, Mr. Chen," Nali announced as she stepped out of the dimly lit workspace. She gave her eyes a couple of good blinks and pushed her russet bangs from her forehead, only to have them fall back into place. Mr. Chen's client eyed her and her mouse colored clothing, speckled with her nickname features. The man had a similar reaction to that of Zalia's—a sniff and a derisive eye. Nali ignored the two just like she ignored all the people she encountered that shared the pairs' sentiments about her and 'street riffraff'. She looked to Mr. Chen expectantly.

"The scraps need sorting. What's big enough to keep and what can be thrown out. If there's anything you'd like you go right ahead and take it, Patches," Mr. Chen told her. She smiled brightly and skipped off to the bin of scraps, but not before ignoring two additional sniffs from the other members of the shop.

There were a couple of good scraps that Nali pocketed, knowing that if not her, someone at the orphanage would need them eventually. It was sturdy material, not the fanciest or the most colorful but it would satisfy. The orphans would look strange with shimmering patches against their coarse earth toned rags.

Mr. Chen turned on the radio once his first customer had left. He gave Nali a wink, turning up the volume on the latest pro-bending tournament. Nali smiled secretly, placing a rather large scrap of blue fabric in a pile of keeps. The announcer came over the airwaves with fervor,

"For those of you just tuning in, the Fire Ferrets are coming in hot! Literally, Mako's fiery punches cannot be beat! We're seeing the same intensity that he showed in the first round that the Fire Ferrets clinched," he said. "There's a one-two and the water bending Makapu Moose Lion is out! Excellent moves by Future Industries Fire Ferret Mako!"

"Korra the Avatar is dancing on her tip toes. The Moose Lion earth bender isn't cutting her any slack! The Fire Ferrets need to gain more ground if they're going to be given this round," the announcer told them. Nali grimaced, her hands tightening into hopeful fists as she listened. She was an avid fan of the Fire Ferrets. The radio in the orphanage was, more often than not, broken, so she always enjoyed a chance to listen to a game. But when they did get it at the orphanage, she had rallied many of the others to her side in supporting the Fire Ferrets. Raley was a fan, and the two enjoyed cheering them on together. Nali was happy to bring back an exciting game as well as the requested fire gummies.

"The fire bender Moose Lion has got the earth bending Bolin cornered! With a few more bursts, Bolin is in the drink! That's the bell, the round is awarded to the Moose Lions! The Fire Ferrets are going to have to pull out all the stops in this next round if they want to win!" Nali and Mr. Chen shared a worried look. He grunted his anxiousness before turning back to the man whose trousers he was hemming. The man was clearly a Moose Lion supporter based on his wide smile. Nali gave a little shake of her head before turning to a new task. This one made listening to the match much easier as she sat with a tangled ball of thread to pick apart.

"And we're back ladies and gentleman and oh what a crazy third round this is turning out to be!" Mr. Chen gave Nali a thumbs up, thimble and all. "Bolin is looking for some sweet revenge after his knock out in the previous round. He's gonna have to dig deep if he's going to get it folks because the Moose Lions are not budging!" The back and forth continued, a nail biter of a pro-bending match. Nali uttered prayers to the powers that be, the thread ball becoming more knotted then untied in her anxiety. She tried to concentrate on her task, but her mind kept being pulled elsewhere.

"There's only two minutes left and the Moose Lions have made a substantial gain into Fire Ferret territory. This one's going to be close! It looks like the only hope for the Fire Ferrets is a complete knock out."

"C'mon guys, you can do it!" Nali muttered under her breath. She scooted her stool closer.

"Time's running out and so is the energy of the Moose Lions. Their earlier intensity is nowhere to be found. The Fire Ferrets aren't much better, but do they have enough to take out the Moose Lions?" Nali prayed they did.

"Mako's found his spark and is giving the earth bender a run for his money. Korra and the water bender go head to head in a wet battle and Bolin's dancing his way to victory against the hot attacks of the Moose Lion's fire bender. With a resounding punch, Bolin takes the fire bender by surprise! He's in the drink! Mako's opponent follows soon after. Now it's water against water. Who will take the final swim?"

"Do it Korra!" Nali cheered, a little louder than she meant. She attracted the attention of everyone in the store and bashfully backed up her stool. Mr. Chen just smiled, his bushy mustache twitching with excitement.

"And she's done it! Korra sends the water bender into the drink. The Fire Ferrets have won the round by knock out and won the match! They'll be advancing towards the Championship!" Nali clapped lightly and Mr. Chen nodded at her. The radio went off and she had just pulled free the last string to unravel the knots. Safely tucking the thread away she approached Mr. Chen as the latest customer left.

"That's all I got for ya, Patches. It was good to see you again, you did a good job," he said with a dull pat to her shoulder. "Let me see what I got for you." With that he handed her a wad of yuan and she thanked him profusely before exiting the shop. She met up with Oppi and Stilts outside the shop to get the others and get some lunch. They had done their part, and Nali was due back to pick up the afternoon shift.

"Well, well, well, did you ever see a more blissful set of scabby elbow leeches in the early afternoon?" came a dark voice. He was paired with a larger man, whose eyes were equally full of dark intent.

"Smell that? It's the smell of money," he said, lurching at the group. Oppi and Stilts backed up and Nali ushered them behind her.

"Get out of our way," Nali said, as forcefully as she could muster. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Oh we will, but how much are you going to pay for us to do so?" the skinny, fidgeting one said. Nali tightened her fists. She was going to get those fire gummies, if it was the last thing she did. And it definitely seemed to be turning out that way.

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**I don't really like the way this ends but it was getting a bit long. So here's a really awful cliffhanger to tide you over. I know I'm not winning any points here. Just stick with me, I'll do my best to make it worth your while!**


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